The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals executed a four-player trade.
The Braves traded outfielder Jason Heyward and right-hander Jordan Walden to the Cardinals in exchange for right-handers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins, both clubs announced Monday.
Heyward hit .271 with 11 homers, 58 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and a .351 on-base percentage in 2014. The 25-year-old is one of baseball’s premier defensive right fielders. He was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year this season.
Heyward’s name has been tossed around in trade speculation for a while. He is slated to become a free agent after the 2015 season. He’ll fill a need for St. Louis that was created when prospect Oscar Taveras tragically died in a car accident during the World Series.
Walden posted a 2.88 ERA in 58 appearances spanning 50 innings this season. The right-hander, who turned 27 on Sunday, had a 1.20 WHIP and struck out 11.2 batters per nine innings.
Miller brings plenty of potential to Atlanta. The hard-throwing 24-year-old went 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) with St. Louis this season. He went 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA in 31 starts in 2013. He was named the No. 5 prospect in all of Major League Baseball by MLB.com before the 2013 season.
Jenkins, who was ranked MLB’s No. 94 prospect before the 2013 season by Baseball Prospectus, went 6-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 13 starts with High-A Palm Beach this season. The 22-year-old was drafted 50th overall in 2010.
Photo via Frank Victores/USA TODAY Sports Images
